23rd Street

Re: 23rd Street

I'm now on the third board. The track is laid and dropper wires soldered on ready to turn on it's side to connect up.

The gondola is on the team track and the centre beam on yard track 2. The middle track at left is the module end. The yard tracks are over 4' long approximately 6 cars per track.

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 9:11 pm

by Mike_R

I'm nearing the end of getting 23rd Street up and running.

The mainline on the corner is super-elevated, which means the curved turnout has to canted as well.
To support it I built up the trackbed with card strips.

Here the track is laid, yard lead at left, main in the middle and siding at right. Because the siding is on the high side of the turnout it has to brought down to the base level.
The card under the siding further back levels out a dip in the green stuff, I did the same for the main but left the yard lead to follow the contour.

To demonstrate the cant on the mainline I put two cars, one on the main the other on the siding. I only have a 2% cant, the max prototype is about 6%, but it is noticeable.
In the foreground you can see the ramp down on the siding.

I've now wired the corner, once tested I'll be ready for next Saturday's meeting.

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 4:45 pm

by BrianMoore

I look forward to seeing it in action at the meet, Mike. A great addition to the Western Union.

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 6:45 pm

by Mike_R

The layout ran for the first time on Saturday, as there were no complains and I didn't see any derailments, I have to call it a success.
The block detector worked correctly picking up trains running through it, I still have to fit infrared detectors at the siding switches to pickup non resistor fitted stock (most members!) in the control points.
Then comes the signals!

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 4:52 pm

by Mike_R

A bit of a jump as 23rd Street is now sceniced, but after deciding to not use the line off the side for a branch I'm now making an industry board for it. This will be a particle board (MDF, OSF, Ply) manufacturer. This gives a good range of cars, box, centerbeam flat, covered hopper, wood chip hopper, log car and tank car.

The plan shows a large sheet loading shed, with deliveries on the outside of it. Logs and chips will use the bottom track.

This board will hinge over the module's last straight board for tranport, with the wedge hinging out of the industry board, so a load of complicated hinging. To eliminate gaps between boards most of these hinges have to be recessed into the board sides, plus it has to fit over a hinge on the existing boards.

Here are the boards under construction. The first showing the ply being glued to the foam I'm using as the centre. I needed a way to hold the sides firmly to the foam, I ended up using bungy cords.
The second shows the wedge, with the main board to the right. I'll finish the main board's cut out once the wedge is done, to get the right size.

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 8:15 pm

by Mike_R

Another weekend and back to layout building!
I've attached the wedge to the main board.

Here folded for transport.

Unfolded, I plan to add a drop down flap in the wedge's space for a log unloading area.

Tomorrow I plan to attach the board to the single straight board of 23rd Street. The pockets at the left edge of the board take gate hinges that will be screwed to the other board. The boards will locked in place with 75mm loose butt hinges as all the other boards are.

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 2:44 pm

by BrianMoore

Most impressive.

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 6:52 pm

by Mike_R

The new board is now attached to the main board.

Here it is in position

The hinges are behind the two ply blocks. Once down it is locked in place by two loose butt hinges, one at each end and a hand wheel in the middle.

The ply "wall" will be part of the loading shed. The turnouts should arrive tomorrow, ready for track laying.

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2016 8:37 pm

by Mike_R

A good day on the industry extension.

The two turnouts are installed.

I'm using a very basic control for them, a toggle switch moves them, the switch powers the frog.

The unloading and delivery tracks in place. The thin ply to the left of the board marks where the building's wall will be placed, the main building will be placed across the board join.

I have made the transport end boards, here the board is folded for transport.

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 9:30 pm

by deanobeano

Hi Mike,

Its nice to see "sustainability " in action in the modelling world as well as its requirement in the real world!! more power to your elbow (and it of course keeps more of your hard earned pennies in your pocket!!)

Given that your layout has a number of industries can i ask what you use / how you normally / propose to manage your switching operations - "Hand of God" or "hands off" ?

I'm thinking that hands off on my N scale would be better but i'm wondering what the best method of achieving this would be noting that i have 50mm of Foam below the cork roadbed (and then 9mm of ply)

Regards

Dean

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 10:03 pm

by Mike_R

Do you mean uncoupling and switches? My layouts are generally are hand uncoupled using a sharpened wood skewer. 11th Avenue does have a magnet on the rear most loop, useful in use at home, and my home layout has them on the upper level, which are not so easy to reach.
23rd Street has no magnets it is only planned as a module where it is easily accessible, usually from both sides.

All layouts use remote turnout controls. The two portable ones use motors, some DCC controlled and others from local switches. North Fork Springs uses motors on the mainline for remote dispatcher control and where they can't be reached. The rest are moved by rods under the layout, which also operate microswitches for frog polarity.

You can operate turnouts through foam, you may need stiffer wire for that distance. If there are buildings close by mount the motors inside them. For a home layout with restricted operators, moving the tie bar by hand is ok. For layouts where anyone may operate them I prefer a method that limits the movement i.e. motor or remote hand. Having said that 11th Avenue's yard was directly hand operated for many years.

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 8:17 pm

by Mike_R

The particle board plant is coming on (still needs a name!)

I bought a Pikestuff M.A.C. kit, which is a kitbash in it's self. I laid out the wall pieces on the layout.

Once the walls were built I made the base from foam core board and stuck it down.

With the walls placed around the base the size of the building starts to show. It will take two centerbeam cars inside and upto three cars outside.

Next to do are the inside, rails and unloading platform and the roof, which has to allow the building to split as the layout is folded up for transport.

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 10:48 pm

by Mike_R

Day three of the board plant.

I've laid rails in the floor, I used plastic angle cut into the foam core base, no locos allowed in here!

Next was the platform to allow access to the doors and one side of the flat cars, again from foam core.

Finally for today the roof trusses, once together the foam core is reasonably strong.

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Tue May 03, 2016 9:54 pm

by Mike_R

The main roof is now on. I'll leave it to fully dry overnight before lifting it off, hopefully in one piece. It is held on by 8 sets of magnets for easy access.

The side roof still has to be done, this is complicated because of the hinge line running through it. One idea is to make it hinge up when the board is folded, unlikely that it will be done by the Christow meeting, as I will have to lay the ground cover by the end of tomorrow to make sure it is dry for Friday.

Re: 23rd Street

Posted: Wed May 04, 2016 8:17 pm

by Mike_R

Well the roof came off ok. The silver dots on the underside of the roof are the magnets. I've had the board folded and the roof stayed on whilst inverted.

I found time to make the wood chip unloader, a pit with a fan to suck the chips up and blow them into storage hoppers (not modelled).